Applying artificial neural networks, symmetrical and asymmetrical approaches to measure the nexus of digital competences among European educators
INFORMATION PROCESSING & MANAGEMENT, vol.63, no.4, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 63 Issue: 4
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1016/j.ipm.2026.104610
- Journal Name: INFORMATION PROCESSING & MANAGEMENT
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Education Abstracts, Information Science and Technology Abstracts, INSPEC, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), MLA - Modern Language Association Database, zbMATH
- Keywords: Digital competence, Technology-supported collaboration, Assessment, Artificial Neural Networks, PLS-SEM, fsQCA, Education
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This study explores the interrelationships among digital tool usage, digital content creation, technology-supported collaboration, and digital assessment practices among 250 in-service teachers from T & uuml;rkiye, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. Training participants completed structured and open-ended questions as part of a European-funded program delivered through a gamified Learning Management System designed to enhance collaboration. A comprehensive mixed-methods approach integrated Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Multi-Group Analysis (MGA), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), providing complementary perspectives on the data-driven associations among digital competence dimensions. PLS-SEM results revealed significant positive correlations among digital tool usage, content creation, collaboration, and assessment. Digital collaboration (beta = 0.513) and content creation (beta = 0.202) were positively associated with digital assessment, with collaboration (beta = 0.370) showing a stronger associative pathway between tool usage and assessment than content creation (beta = 0.139). fsQCA identified that the concurrent presence of tool usage, content creation, and collaboration was linked to higher digital assessment outcomes (consistency = 0.847). ANN sensitivity analysis highlighted the relative importance of collaboration (1.02) compared with tool usage (0.53) and content creation (0.24) in revealing associations within digital assessment practices. These multi-method correlational findings underscore the central role of technology-supported collaboration in integrating digital competences and provide data-driven insights for educational policy and teacher professional development.